Michael Mikey Brennan
'''Michael Mikey Brennan''' '''Michael John Brennan '''(born 30th November, 1998), known professionally as '''Michael Mikey Brennan '''(usually addressed as "Mikey") is an English musician, singer and songwriter known for composing own and cover compositions and publishing them to online streaming and downloading sites such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes iTunes]/[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Music Apple Music], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotify Spotify], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_(company) Amazon], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Play Google Play] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deezer Deezer]. He is also known for his [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube YouTube] videos, and his covers of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen Leonard Cohen]'s '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallelujah_(Leonard_Cohen_song) Hallelujah]', [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Sheeran Ed Sheeran]'s '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_House Lego House]', [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrique_Iglesias Enrique Iglesias]' '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_(Enrique_Iglesias_song) Hero]', [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Whitley Keith Whitley]'s '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_You_Say_Nothing_at_All When You Say Nothing at All]', [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson Michael Jackson]'s '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_in_the_Mirror Man in the Mirror]' and '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Are_Not_Alone You Are Not Alone]' and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Newman Randy Newman]'s '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27ve_Got_a_Friend_in_Me You've Got a Friend in Me]'. '''Early Life''' Brennan was born in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyton Leyton] on 30th November, 1998 to parents Della Josephine Brennan and Barry Grogan. Brennan is also a twin brother to Kieran Joseph Brennan (born at 7:45am one minute after Brennan who was born at 7:44am). At the age of three, Brennan and his brother were fostered to new parents Mark Ian Care and Diane Mary Care (previously called, Diane Mary Scott before marriage) and for the remainder of his childhood Brennan grew up in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidstone Maidstone]. He was raised as a Catholic and attended Holy Family Catholic Primary School but had difficulties with focusing in school due to his [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_deficit_hyperactivity_disorder ADHD] and dropped out of mainstream education in 2008 and was transferred to a special needs school, Bower Grove School where he continued studying from Year 5 to Year 11 and graduated in 2015 with a C grade in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Certificate_of_Secondary_Education GCSE] Music Performance and was enrolled onto a Music Performance course at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MidKent_College MidKent College] in September 2015. He passed Music Performance Level 1 in June 2016 with a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BTEC_Extended_Diploma BTEC] pass grade allowing him to progress onto Music Performance Level 2 which he passed in July 2017 with a RSL Distinction grade allowing him to progress onto Music Performance Level 3. He started singing at the age of 3 but did not take singing seriously until he was 10. His first performance was in 2009 when he was 11, in which he performed [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Williams Robbie Williams]' '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_(Robbie_Williams_song) Angels]' in his school's Christmas production titled: "The Xmas Factor". He started singing lessons at the age of 11, and started playing guitar at the age of 12 and was taught how to sing and play by his music teachers, Mr. Croft and Mr. Starks. '''Career''' '''First Performance''' Brennan's career began with his first performance at [http://michael-mikey-brennan.wikia.com/wiki/Bower_Grove_School Bower Grove School] in his Christmas production The Xmas Factor (based on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X_Factor_(UK_TV_series) The X Factor]) in 2009 when he was 11 years old. He sang '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_(Robbie_Williams_song) Angels]' by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Williams Robbie Williams] as a tribute to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Archangels angels] from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus the Christmas story]. '''Bower Grove School: Another Bower Grove Christmas ''' In 2010 as a current student, Brennan featured with vocals on [http://michael-mikey-brennan.wikia.com/wiki/Bower_Grove_School Bower Grove School]'s 2010 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas Christmas] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charity_record charity single] project, '[http://michael-mikey-brennan.wikia.com/wiki/Another_Bower_Grove_Christmas Another Bower Grove Christmas]' along with the other current students and members of staff of the school. The song was written by Toby Starks, singer/songwriter and musician, lead vocalist of function bands such as The Starks Family Band and Wheeler Street and the school's music learning support assistant and the lyrics were written by Starks and Danny Wells the school's music teacher. It was released the online music [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_music_store downloading stores] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes iTunes], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_(company) Amazon] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Play Google Play] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streaming_media streaming services] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotify Spotify] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deezer Deezer] on 18th November, 2010 provided by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD_Baby CD Baby]. The money the single raised from the purchasing of the song went towards provision of new [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outdoor_playset outdoor play equipment] for the children of the school. '''Hallelujah and Lego House''' In July 2012, Brennan and Toby Starks teamed up together to perform at [http://michael-mikey-brennan.wikia.com/wiki/Bower_Grove_School Bower Grove School]'s music assembly 2012. They performed [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen Leonard Cohen]'s '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallelujah_(Leonard_Cohen_song) Hallelujah]' and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Sheeran Ed Sheeran]'s '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_House Lego House]' with Brennan on vocals and Starks on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano piano] for 'Hallelujah' and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_guitar electric guitar] for 'Lego House'. After the performance, Brennan and Starks went into the Bower Grove School recording studio and recorded studio versions of their covers of the two songs. Brennan uploaded the two covers to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube YouTube] in January 2013 under a YouTube playlist tiled 'On The School Stage EP' On The School Stage EP - YouTube playlist [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnvWCuDskRpjXDhBs5d0mPuaXncn8tdlT] which was also released on Brennan's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myspace MySpace] page. '''Michael Mikey Brennan and Mr. Croft ''' From the history of songwriting partnerships such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennon John Lennon] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_McCartney Paul McCartney], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Jagger Mick Jagger] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Richards Keith Richards], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Page Jimmy Page] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_plant Robert Plant], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John Elton John] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Taupin Bernie Taupin], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Strummer Joe Strummer]and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Jones_(The_Clash_guitarist) Mick Jones], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Leiber_and_Mike_Stoller Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_King Carole King] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Goffin Gerry Goffin] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Michael George Michael] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Ridgeley Andrew Ridgeley] came a new songwriting duo when Brennan met Andrew "Andy" Croft (Mr. Croft) in September 2011 when Croft first began teaching [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics mathematics] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music music] at [http://michael-mikey-brennan.wikia.com/wiki/Bower_Grove_School Bower Grove School]. Under the influence of Lennon and McCartney, Jagger and Richards, John and Taupin, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson Michael Jackson] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Jones Quincy Jones], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Proclaimers The Proclaimers] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Barlow Gary Barlow] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Williams Robbie Williams], Brennan and Croft became a music duo and started making music together. They started off with lessons where Croft taught Brennan how to play and sing and then started jamming together with Brennan on vocals and Croft on piano. According to Brennan the first song they played together with '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenade_(song) Grenade]' by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Mars Bruno Mars], followed by '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replay_(Iyaz_song) Replay]' by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iyaz Iyaz]. '''Discography ''' * [http://michael-mikey-brennan.wikia.com/wiki/Michael_Mikey_Brennan_%28Album%29 Michael Mikey Brennan (2015)] '''Influences''' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_family The Jackson Family] are the biggest influence on Brennan. He is especially fond of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson Michael Jackson] who he describes as his "idol", "hero" and "biggest inspiration" and once spoke about Jackson in a YouTube vlog and said that he was reason why he performs stating that: "Without MJ, I wouldn't be performing this very day". He has also credited Jackson as "The greatest entertainer of all time". He has also showed his love and fondness for The King Of Pop by stating that: "There is no other artist closer to my heart than MJ". He has described '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(Michael_Jackson_album) Thriller'] as his favourite album of all time, and saw [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_%E2%80%93_Live Thriller Live] at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlowe_Theatre Marlowe Theatre] in 2016 and commented on the musical and said: "Sadly, I never got the chance to see Michael Jackson live, but seeing Thriller Live was the second best thing". He also a big fan of Jackson's other albums '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off_the_Wall Off The Wall]', '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_(album) Bad]', '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_(Michael_Jackson_album) Dangerous]' and '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invincible_(Michael_Jackson_album) Invincible]', describing them all as "amazing" and he has also described 'Off The Wall' as: "The greatest album of all time". He is also a fan of the young Michael Jackson stuff, and has showed fondness over the song '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_%26_Me Music & Me]' stating that: “I don’t have a favourite song, but if I had to choose one I think I’d have to say ’Music & Me’ by young Michael Jackson, it’s one of the closets songs to my heart, it so close that it is almost enough for me to classify it as my ‘favourite song’. It’s impossible for me to choose a favourite song, there are so many great songs and so many that I have formed a connection with, but this song has bonded with my heart. It is such a beautiful track, everything about it is beautiful, the music and the lyrics, everything! It’s a very relatable song, the reason I love it so much is because of my love of music, and I think others who also love music can relate to it as well”. Brennan also covered Jackson's songs '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_in_the_Mirror Man in the Mirror'] and '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Are_Not_Alone You Are Not Alone]' which he uploaded to his YouTube channel in 2014. He has also cited [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jackson_5 The Jackson 5] as influences and has stated that: "Listening to their music never fails to cheer me up". He also claims that as a child he listened to '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Want_You_Back I Want You Back]' over a hundred times. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Jackson Janet Jackson] has also been an influence on Brennan, he has described her as his "favourite female artist". He has also admitted that the lyric "all the memories come back to me in my mind" from his song 'Without You' was taken from Jackson's song '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Again_(Janet_Jackson_song) Again]'. Brennan has cited [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley Elvis Presley] as his second biggest influence, claiming that: "(He) is the reason I play guitar" and also claimed in an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram Instagram] post that Presley was the reason he started playing guitar. He considers Presley and Jackson to be: "the greatest artists of all time". He became a fan of Presley at the age, when hearing The King's version of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Perkins Carl Perkins]' '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Suede_Shoes Blue Suede Shoes]' at school, shortly afterwards his Dad (noticing his son's interest in The King) gave him '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girls!_Girls!_Girls! Girls! Girls! Girls!]' on DVD. Brennan has listed Presley as his second biggest influence (Michael Jackson being his biggest). Brennan has also said that Presley's albums '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley_(album) Elvis Presley]' and '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_(1956_album) Elvis]' are two of the most treasured albums in his collection. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles The Beatles] are a big influence on Brennan's style and songwriting, he has admitted that: "Whenever (he is) stuck songwriting (he) always turns to The Beatles for inspiration", he has described them as his "favourite band", and has described [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennon John Lennon] as his "songwriting hero". In June 2016, Brennan and Mitchell Ripley covered '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twist_and_Shout Twist and Shout]' and Brennan stated that their take on it was primarily inspired by the Beatles' version. Brennan has listed '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Please_Please_Me Please Please Me]', '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/With_the_Beatles With the Beatles]' and '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help!_(album) Help!]' as his Top 3 Beatles albums and has cited '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_Comes_the_Sun Here Comes The Sun]' as his favourite Beatles song. He has shown his fondness of all the members of the band and has listed John as "the best songwriter", George as "the best guitarist", Paul as "the best singer" and Ringo as "the coolest". Brennan is a big [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_McCartney Paul McCartney] fan. When he was a child, every year when Christmas came around he spent hours listening to and singing a long to '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderful_Christmastime Wonderful Christmastime]' which he has listed as his "favourite Christmas song". He has also cited [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones The Rolling Stones] as an influence to his style and songwriting and is a big fan of their [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones_(album) debut self-titled album] and has described [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Jagger Mick Jagger] as: "the greatest front man ever!" and has also cited Jagger as a vocal and performance influence. He has also said that he has a lot of respect for Jagger and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Richards Keith Richards] as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent Kent] musicians, stating that: "Both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are pretty much the two most famous people to ever come out of Kent". He is also a fan of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oasis_(band) Oasis], and has said that they too have impacted his style and songwriting and has also said that [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_Gallagher Liam Gallagher] has been a massive influence on his voice and has also cited [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noel_Gallagher Noel Gallagher] as a songwriting influence. He has also cited [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(band) Queen] as an influence and is heavily influenced by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Mercury Freddie Mercury] who he has cited as a vocal influence and has listed him as one of his favourite singers and his favourite front man. On 5th September, 2016 (Mercury's birthday), Brennan tweeted saying: "Happy birthday, Freddie Mercury one of my biggest influences, I wish I had an incredible voice like yours". Brennan has described Mercury as "one of the greatest voices of all time!" and has also stated that: "Freddie was one of the best voices of this generation, and if not, the best!" He has also listed Queen as one of his favourite bands, stating that: "There was a lot of Queen in my school, we use to listen to their songs in class and sing them in assemblies, songs like '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Stop_Me_Now Don't Stop Me Now]', '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_the_Champions We Are The Champions]' and our all time favourite, '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Will_Rock_You We Will Rock You]', we were obsessed with that song!" He is also a fan of other rock bands similar to that of the Beatles' style, like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kinks The Kinks], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smiths The Smiths], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleetwood_Mac Fleetwood Mac], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monkees The Monkees] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beach_Boys The Beach Boys]. In 2014, Brennan covered '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Only_Knows God Only Knows]' with the other fellow pupils and members of staff of Bower Grove School as a dedication to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_in_Need Children In Need]. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock Punk rock] band [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Day Green Day] are a big influence on Brennan, he has stated that they are one of his "favourite bands ever!" He is especially fond of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Joe_Armstrong Billie Joe Armstrong] who he has cited as a vocal influence, and has also described Armstrong as one of his "favourite singers". He has listed '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimrod_(album) Nimrod]' as his favourite Green Day album, stating in a tweet that: "I love '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dookie Dookie]' and '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Idiot American Idiot]' but my favourite Green Day album has to be 'Nimrod' a true masterpiece!". Brennan has also said that '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Riddance_(Time_of_Your_Life) Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)]' is one of his "favourite songs to play on guitar". He has played the song live at his gigs on many occasions and some of those performances are on YouTube. He has claimed that his first introduction into Green Day was: "Because of 'American Idiot'. I'm pretty sure most people my age discovered them through that song as well. Then after that I discovered the album, 'American Idiot' and absolutely loved it! Then I discovered '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_Century_Breakdown 21st Century Breakdown]' the album after 'American Idiot'. Then I discovered that they had six albums before 'American Idiot' and listened to all them and loved every single one!" He is also a fan of pop punk bands like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blink-182 Blink-182], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Plan Simple Plan] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sum_41 Sum 41]. He has cited '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enema_of_the_State Enema of the State]' as his favourite pop punk album. Brennan claims that his first introduction into pop punk was through Simple Plan, stating that: "They were a very popular band during my childhood era of the early 2000s". As a child, he was a big fan of Simple Plan: "Their song 'Grow Up' was one of the my favourite songs as a child, I use to sing it all time. Oh yeah, they also did the theme song to the show '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What%27s_New,_Scooby-Doo%3F What's New, Scooby Doo?]', me and my brother use to watch that show a lot when we were kids, we loved it and we also loved the theme song and use to sing it together". Brennan is a big fan of Simple Plan's albums '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Pads,_No_Helmets...Just_Balls No Pads, No Helmets... Just Balls]' and '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Still_Not_Getting_Any... Still Not Getting Any...]". Brennan has listed pop punk as one of his personal favourite genres, stating that: "As a youngster, pop punk songs are relatable". He is also a fan of more "classic" punk bands such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_Pistols Sex Pistols], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clash The Clash], the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzzcocks Buzzcocks] and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramones Ramones]. Brennan spoke about the Sex Pistols in a tweet and said: "The Sex Pistols were s**t musicians and couldn't play to save their lives. However, they were still a f**king brilliant band regardless", he is also a big fan of the album '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Mind_the_Bollocks,_Here%27s_the_Sex_Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols]' and has listed it as his favourite punk album. As a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_folk_music folk] musician, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan Bob Dylan] has been a massive influence on Brennan's style, genre, songwriting, lyrics, poetry and guitar playing. Brennan has personally stated that: "You can't be a folk musician without being influenced by Bob Dylan". Brennan has admitted that he looks to Dylan for inspiration, stating that: "Whenever I struggle to write a song I always think to myself.... what would Bob Dylan do?" He has also admitted that the harmonicas in his song 'Home' were inspired by the harmonica in '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowin%27_in_the_Wind Blowin' In The Wind]'. Brennan has also performed 'Blowin' In The Wind' at a lot of his gigs. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Sheeran Ed Sheeran] has been one of the biggest influences on Brennan and his songwriting and style, he has also claimed that Sheeran is partly the reason why he is the musician he is today, stating that: "I started playing the guitar at the age of 12 and at that time Ed Sheeran was in the charts with '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_A_Team_(Ed_Sheeran_song) The A Team]' and that's when I discovered him, he's been leading the way for me ever since then". Brennan has also cited [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_(band) Nirvana] lead singer [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Cobain Kurt Cobain] as an influence on him as a songwriter and musician, stating that: "His poetry, his songwriting... he's an inspiration! He wasn't the best musician, but he was definitely one of the best songwriters". Brennan has also said that '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevermind Nevermind]' is one of his favourite albums and has also stated that '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polly_(Nirvana_song) Polly]' and '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV_Unplugged_in_New_York MTV Unplugged in New York]' have been a "massive impact on (him) as an acoustic musician". In addition to Nirvana, he is also a fan of other [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rock Alternative rock] bands like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M. R.E.M,] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldplay Coldplay], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_of_Leon Kings of Leon] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2 U2]. He has a fondness of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Stipe Michael Stipe], who he has cited as a vocal influence and has listed as one of his "favourite singers". He has also said that R.E.M's songwriting has been a massive impact on him, stating that: "They wrote great songs, they created masterpieces, no alternative rock band could ever compare to them, they are the masters of the genre". He has also shown a fondness over them by describing them as "The best alternative rock band ever!". In addition to Stipe, he also cited [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Martin Chris Martin] as a vocal influence, stating that: "I love Coldplay, they're a great band. Chris Martin is one of my favourite singers ever. And '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fix_You Fix You]' one of my favourite songs of all time". He has also cited Caleb Followill as a vocal influence and has cited Kings of Leon as one of his "favourite bands" and is a big fan of the album '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_by_the_Night Only by the Night]' and has listed '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_on_Fire Sex on Fire]' as one of his "all time favourites". He is also a fan of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killers The Killers] and of their album '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Fuss Hot Fuss]'. Brennan also cites [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John Elton John] as an influence to his singing and songwriting and has described him as "one of the greatest songwriters of all time". He claims that he discovered John as a child through a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_the_Builder Bob the Builder] Christmas film titled: "Bob the Builder: [http://btb.wikia.com/wiki/A_Christmas_To_Remember A Christmas To Remember]" which John guest voiced in. The film also features John's song '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile_Rock Crocodile Rock]', which Brennan claims was the first Elton John song he ever heard (because of the film). As a child he was also a fan of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_King The Lion King] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_King_(soundtrack) soundtrack] stating that: "The Lion King soundtrack has to be the best soundtrack I've ever heard". In 2015, Brennan and his parents saw Elton John and his band live on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_Hits_Tour_(Elton_John) All Hits Tour] at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Showground Kent Showground] which was the first ever concert Brennan went to. He has also cited [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Collins Phil Collins] as a vocal and songwriting influence and has described him as a "musical genius". As a child Brennan was a big fan of Collins' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walt_Disney_Company Disney] soundtracks, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarzan_(1999_film) Tarzan] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarzan_(1999_film_soundtrack) soundtrack] and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Bear Brother Bear] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Bear_(soundtrack) soundtrack]. Brennan has also admitted that Collins is his inspiration to writing love songs, stating that: "The love songs he writes are absolutely amazing and heartwarming, emotional and romantic. When it comes to writing love songs he is the expert, all of his work is brilliant. I could never write a love song that could compare to '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27ll_Be_in_My_Heart You'll Be In My Heart]' or any love song by him for that matter". Brennan has also cited American actor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Black Jack Black] as an influence and is a big fan of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenacious_D Tenacious D] and their [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenacious_D_(album) debut album]. He has claimed that the film, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_of_Rock School of Rock] was the film that inspired him to become a music student, stating that: "The film's story has really motivated me as a music student. I study by the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC/DC AC/DC] motto - 'It's along way to the top if you want to rock and roll" - the film, School of Rock has taught me so much!" In addition to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jackson_5 The Jackson 5], Brennan is a fan of other boy bands such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_That Take That], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backstreet_Boys Backstreet Boys], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSYNC NSYNC] and he was also a fan of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JLS JLS], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wanted The Wanted] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Direction One Direction] in the past. Take That were an early influence on Brennan, he grew up listening to them purely because of his mum's interest in them, stating that: "During my childhood era a lot of mums were into Take That, as was my mum, when I was younger she used to play their music quite a lot around the house and in the car as well as a few of Robbie's tunes. I wouldn't say I was a 'massive fan' of Take That or Robbie, mum was always more into them than I was. However, it was kind of hard to escape my childhood without liking them because I use to hear their songs on the radio all the time and they were all so good, so I just couldn't dislike them. And despite not being massively into them, I still like their music and still consider them an influence and inspiration to my own work. I think what people need to consider is the fact that you don't have to be the biggest fan in the world of someone in order to be able to consider them an influence, as long as you are able to connect with their music and appreciate their work, and I appreciate Take That and have always considered them inspirational. I've never had anything against them and I don't know why I was never massively into them... it was probably because my mum overplayed them!" Brennan has also admitted that he has a lot of respect for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Barlow Gary Barlow] and has cited him as a songwriting influence and has labeled him as: "The best songwriter in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music pop music]". He has also cited [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Williams Robbie Williams] as an influence and has listed him as one of his "pop idols". Brennan's first ever stage performance was in 2009 when he was 11 years old at his school where he performed '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_(Robbie_Williams_song) Angels]' in his school's Christmas production - The Xmas Factor - as a dedication to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Archangels angels] from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus the Christmas story]. Brennan has also claimed that: "The performance took place on 10th December 2009, and then two days later on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X_Factor The X Factor] final current contestant, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olly_Murs Olly Murs] performed the song on the show with Mr. Robbie Williams, himself. What a coincidence!" Brennan's performance of 'Angels' bought female members of staff in the school to tears which Brennan has stated is "quite embarrassing looking back!" and comparisons were made after the performance, some who described Brennan as a "Yong Robbie". Brennan has also said that he is a fan of Olly Murs, stating that: "He's a great artist and has some great tunes. '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Please_Don%27t_Let_Me_Go Please Don't Let Me Go]', '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking_of_Me Thinking of Me]' and '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_with_Me_Tonight Dance With Me Tonight'] are my favourites. I've also listened to his [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olly_Murs_(album) first] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Case_You_Didn%27t_Know second] album, and I really enjoyed both of them!" Brennan is a big fan of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_music heavy metal] bands such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Maiden Iron Maiden], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sabbath Black Sabbath], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallica Metallica], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megadeth Megadeath], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantera Pantera], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slipknot_(band) Slipknot], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twisted_Sister Twisted Sister] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rap_metal rap metal] band, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_Against_the_Machine Rage Against The Machine]. Brennan has listed Sabbath as "the greatest metal band in the world", but he has credited Maiden as his favourite heavy metal band.